Gun Control Advocates Amazed At How Far The Gun Bill Goes

April 01, 2013|By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, The Hartford Courant

Lobbyists Betty Gallo and Ron Pinciaro have been pushing for gun control for years with mixed success.

As a result, Gallo was stunned Monday at the sweeping nature of a bipartisan bill on assault weapons, ammunition, magazines, and background checks that could pass in the state legislature as early as Wednesday.

“This is really amazing,” Gallo said in an interview.

She added, “Two years ago, we lost a ban on high-capacity magazines, and we couldn’t get it out of the judiciary committee.”

Today, the proposed ban on the magazines is highly comprehensive. The bill calls for the immediate ban on the sale, purchase and importation of the magazines. Buying, selling, importing or transferring the magazines for free would be a Class D felony. The maximum penalty for a Class D felony is five years in prison and a fine of $5,000.

Ron Pinciaro, the executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence for the past 11 years, said, “This couldn’t have happened in any other state in any other year.”